Delta 15.5 Expedition

Everyone, I mean everyone, compliments its' looks.

It's a great kayak.

While I didn't to a lot of test drives of other kayaks I did do a lot of research. I like to do multiple days camping/kayaking trips and my 15.5 is a work horse. 10 to 14 days are the norm and it hauls everything I have and more.It is also very stable which was another plus for me as I do a lot of fishing in it.

Whether it is rivers, small streams or open lakes it handles them all and gives me the confidence to take on more. At 54 lbs. it easy to load and unload and makes portages a little less daunting. At age 59, this is a good thing.

But in addition to all these things I like about this kayak. What sold it for me was a video I saw of the owner taking a hammer and literally just wailed away at the bottom of the kayak. Not a blemish.

One could say it's the Suburban SUV of kayaks. Very stable, strong, and has incredible storage capacity. I use it mainly for my kayak camping trips, but end up carrying other peoples "stuff" cuz their boats just won't take it all.

As far as speed and agility, it's not a racing kayak. Wasn't designed to be, but what it is, is a great novice boat where one can learn in, but then has enough advanced features, (like super secondary stability), so one can grow into it. I hate putting good money into anything that I end up outgrowing after a few times. If the 15.5 is too big, go for the 14.5. Lots of capacity, same stable design, but I wanted the extra capacity so I got the 15.5.

While the width of the three boats I mentioned are made for midsize to larger paddlers, the way the seat adjusts, (like in a car), and the optional fit kit Delta has, one can customize the cockpit to fit them snugly.

No, I don't work for the company, but I strongly support them. Out of 11 boats, four of them are Deltas. Why? They're awesome. I use the 18.5 for my expedition paddling, the 15.5 for camping, and the Catfish for fishing, and my wife has a Delta 16.

Owners Sandra and Colin are great to talk with and if I had a question or concern, they responded to me immediately and very pleasantly.
I would suggest a Delta for anyone interested in any kind of paddling.

I am 5'11" and 250lbs. Great access to get in and out of. Very stable. I kayak out of Gibsons on the Sunshine Coast, B.C. and have encountered some reasonably rough water on the Georgia Strait with no issues regarding capsizing or stability. Slightly slower than my wife's boat but not a real hindrance (makes you paddle harder!) and has wonderful storage capacity. I was a little leery of thermoform when I first purchased it but see no real issues at all yet after 4 years.
Definitely a great boat for larger people!

Then to the sprayksirt, application charts show the SEALs 1.7 fits... no-no! As it turns out, after pulling teeth from Delta, that to get a skirt that fits it must be purchased from Delta or their dealers. I had to spend an extra $140 for a skirt I shouldn't have needed to buy.
I will say SEALs, who were involved in the skirt issue, were extremely helpful and they are changing their fit charts.

To the good:
The boat handles like a dream, which is why I kept it. Better than expected in quartering winds yet very responsive, carves wonderfully for a touring boat.

My experience shows Delta is not a customer service capable company. If you want a Delta, research the spray skirt issue first!

Happy Trails,
Debbi

Sandra Beeskau
President
Delta Kayaks Ltd.

I have had the boat to the Outer Banks in NC, Algonquin Park in Ontario with a few portages and enough gear for 5 days. Lake Ontario is not the ocean but we get some good waves to play. Even when we try to see who can get their cockpit full of water by plowing the waves (paddle fast and let the nose drop in to the second wave), the boat is very stable.

Speed is very good for a wider boat and I have no problem keeping up with narrower fiberglass boats. One trip of 15 kilometers took me 1 hrs and 45 minutes. That is with a steady but not hard stroke, mild breeze and nothing high for waves.

After three years the finish, seat, rudder and peddles are like new even though I try to paddle once a week through the spring, summer and fall with our annual New Year’s Day paddle on the lake a have to even. We try to have a few large trips of 3 or more days with gear as well and I still love this boat.

Got my wife in to a Delta and 4 other friend have purchased Delta's after paddling my boat. Each boat to its purpose and this one works great for me.

My first impression is as follows; it’s the most stable kayak I’ve ever paddled, it gives the impression that you couldn’t tip it over. It handles waves great, or at least the ones I’ve been in so far. Going over large power boat wakes is a cake walk, straight on or even at almost a parallel angle. I’m a large man at 5’11” and around 250 pounds and it’s one of if not the most comfortable kayak I’ve ever sat in.

As far as speed, it’s hard to tell, I don’t have a GPS so I don’t have much to judge the speed by, it does seem to accelerate pretty quick though. The fit and finish is very good and the rudder system is really nice. I really like the rudder peddles, kind of like a gas paddle in a car. The kayak turns well with just a little lean and it tracks well also. If you stop paddling it only well glide for a short distant before it wants to turn left or right, and with the rudder down it glides straight. All and all I really am happy with my Delta. I’d like to try in the ocean soon and see how it does there, I really have no doubt that it well perform fine.

This is only the second kayak I’ve owned, but I’ve paddled many different kayaks (friends and at kayak demos) and so far this is my favorite.